Generally, for vehicle access, two types of doors are provided: hinged doors arranged to pivot about an end of the door, and sliding doors arranged to translate along a guided track. Sliding doors are desirable for certain applications, such as providing greater access in close parking environments like small garages and crowded parking lots.
A typical sliding door assembly involves a channel mounted along the exterior of a vehicle for receiving a slideable door member. However, in some automotive applications use of an exterior channel is not feasible, such as with a pick-up truck, for example, where there is a gap between the cab and the truck bed precluding the use of such a channel.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved sliding door arrangement that overcomes the aforementioned and other disadvantages.